Deck Starters: Lars

By Tim Bresnan

Everyone has their own favorite cards that almost always end up in every deck they build. Other cards never see the light of day when players build their decks. Recently, while flipping through my collection and trying to come up with a new approach, I started looking at cards that never made it into my decks for one reason or another. In this article, we'll discuss two cards that you can use to spice up an old deck or even start a new one.

Uncle Owen

Though not the subject of an old Beatles song with a similar title, Uncle Owen will not be long for this world -- or game, using the strategy I'm about to relate. However, he won't end up a smoking corpse, as he does in A New Hope. We'll let him die with dignity.

Uncle Owen Lars (A) is a simple Tatooine farmer, but don't be fooled by his outward appearance. Some players may pass him by when building decks because his stats aren't all that impressive: 3 build for a 20 speed, 2 power, 4 health unit. But for the beauty of this card, you have to dig under the dirt on this grimy old moisture farmer. Discard Owen from the Character arena to prevent one of your Characters from being attacked this turn. This makes him a little less powerful than A Moment's Rest, but almost as good for the same cost. While this ability only works in the Character arena, he is immune to Slumming on Coruscant, which kills Battle and Mission cards in your hand. Since you can't build Mission cards during setup, Owen is a good card for those extra few build points left over during setup if you need to protect a Character at the start of the game.

Owen's downfall is that he only prevents attacks, not damage. Therefore, Darth Tyranus with Force Lightning, deflected damage, or direct damage (such as that from Retaliate) will still harm the unit he's protecting. But Owen's a simple man -- there's only so much he can do.

Though he might not fit into the crowd at Jabba the Hutt's on a Saturday night, Owen Lars (A) does fit nicely into most decks. Decks such as the Ultimate Rebel deck and its need to keep the Rebel Control Officer or other key Characters alive for as long as possible started me thinking about Owen's ability.

Aunt Beru

Owen has the love of a good woman in Beru Lars (A). But like her husband, she won't be in the game forever -- just long enough to use her ability. Discard Beru from the Character arena to return a Character from your discard pile. Using the same example of the Ultimate Rebel deck, here's a chance to return that Rebel Control Officer to your hand.

Since Beru's ability isn't limited to which Character she pulls back, she has a use in almost any deck. Being a 3 build Character gives her the same advantage Owen enjoys from Slumming on Coruscant. You can go a step further with this theme and use the Lars Homestead to knock their cost down to 2. Beru also works similarly to Han's Promise, but instead of letting your opponent get the added advantage of resurrecting a Character from his discard pile, you can at least return one back to your hand.

Since both Owen and Beru use their abilities during the build step, you can take advantage of their ability as soon as they hit the table. This will ensure that they aren't taken out prematurely waiting for their turn to attack.

Lars R.I.P.

Hopefully, this will give you a few ideas for making interesting decks. Though not powerhouse cards, the Lars couple will make their sacrifice count when needed the most. May they rest in peace.

Stay tuned for other deck starter ideas, including vengeful little Ewoks! Until next time, this is Rogue 9, standing by...

About the Author Tim Bresnan is a life long Star Wars fan and has played the Star Wars Miniatures game and the Star Wars Trading Card Game since both games launched. Tim's writing credits include "Mini-Mimban," the Splinter of the Mind's Eye scenario. He had the good fortune of meeting Ray Park (Darth Maul) during Gen Con 2003 in Indianapolis. Tim's also a veteran of Star Wars Celebration 1 (1999, Denver) and Celebration 2 (2002, Indianapolis), and he plans to attend Celebration 3 (2005, Indianapolis).